By Morf Morford, Tacoma Daily Index
Physical health is one of those basic conditions, in some ways, much like almost everything else; a small sacrifice early on can lead to major benefits later. It would be easy to make the argument that no investment has a better ultimate pay-off than one’s health. After all, if we don’t have our health, what else do we have?
Most of us operate under the comforting illusion that when we are young and healthy we will always be that way. And that we will take care of ourselves “later”. Unfortunately, for most of us, that “later” is too late. And it often comes far earlier than we might have expected.
As with taking care of a car, or almost anything else, the key principle to follow is to take care of any problem before you need to; fix your roof before winter, change the oil in your car before it is necessary and, as much as possible, prepare for what is coming next.
Personal health is one of those areas of life where the results may not be noticeable for many years. Or even longer.
According to a recent study, incorporating just a few simple lifestyle changes can add up to 24 years to the average life expectancy.
Keep moving
Inertia can literally kill us. Muscles are meant to be used, and, in most cases, the more they are used, the stronger they become. The opposite is also true-the less they are used the weaker they become.
Probably nothing is more important than regular exercise – whatever “regular” might mean – from daily to semi-weekly, to whenever the spirit leads, “exercise” by your own definition, is the key. When it comes to the game of life, at least be a moving target.
When it comes to eating, keep it simple
One food writer had a very simple philosophy; only eat food that your grandparents would recognize as food. If your food has ingredients that you can’t pronounce, in most cases you’d be better off without it.
Some food writers recommend foods with five or fewer ingredients as best. As you may have noticed, this is not always practical – or even possible.
One friend of mine limited his diet to basic foods like these – and in just a few months lost 60 pounds. Sometimes he picks up a 50 or sixty pound package and imagines himself carrying that much extra weight – all the time.
When each pound of weight translates to four pounds of pressure on key joints – like knees and ankles – the gaining – or losing – of just a few pounds can make a huge difference in your activity level. And pain level.
Are you eating food or industrially produced edible substances?
Not all of us can grow, or afford, the food that might be best for us. To make the best of the situation most of us find ourselves in when it comes to food, I highly recommend this site. You can also take a look at the book Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind the Food That Isn’t Food by Chris van Tulleken.
Not all calories are created equal
Health and nutrition are not always a mathematical process – a calorie in does not necessarily mean one calorie used. To be of use to a body, a calorie needs to be assimilated. It could just as easily be stored or rejected. In short, only food that your body can use is good for you.
Drugs?
All cultures, and many subsections of most cultures, have their own definitions of what constitutes a “drug”. Is caffeine a drug? Nicotine? Sugar? Alcohol? By standard definition, to some degree, all of those are, but, for whatever sets of historical reasons, some drugs are socially (or legally) allowed – and some are not.
A recovery program once had the slogan “Alcohol is to adults, what sugar is to children”. Chemically speaking, sugar and alcohol are almost identical.
By the standard of daily use, and paralyzed by the prospect of eliminating the drug of choice from our daily routine, most of us are active addicts.
When it comes to alcohol, back in 2018, the medical journal The Lancet published a comprehensive study on the link between alcohol consumption and cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses – the results indicate an upward trend in cancer, in particular, as alcohol consumption increases.
Sugar, the drug of choice for most of us, is a contributing factor to a host of negative health conditions. For a balanced look at how sugar is related to cancer, I suggest this article.
Sleep
I don’t know about anyone else, but everyone that I see out in public seems sleep deprived.
One recent study found that getting seven to nine hours of sleep can reduce the risks of early death by 18%.
We should all be getting around 8 hours, minimum, of sleep in a typical 24 hour cycle. But for a variety of reasons, few of us do. And very few things are more important to quality of life than a good night’s sleep. To refer to a well-known phrase, just do it.
Find your people
Having strong social bonds can enhance life expectancy by 5%. And, as those over a certain age can attest, every 5% makes a difference. Relationships are where you find them. Or where you make them. At work or church or in your neighborhood or based on a shared interest or activity, being around people that welcome you makes each day worth living.
Keep your eyes on the prize
Life is, of course, about far more than the number of years lived. All of us exist, but too few of us have a solid sense of our “why”. A life dense with meaning and purpose is far more meaningful, both to us and those around us, than the sheer number of days lived.
The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. – Mark Twain
In short, in more ways than we could count, we need each other. Take care of yourself. Pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Engage in activities that you enjoy and find relaxing. Exercise regularly. Take care of yourself to keep your mind and body primed to deal with situations that require resilience and the ability to respond to the challenges that emerge almost every day.
Our health is of far more importance to others than most of us think.
